Wire fence.



No. 706,883. Patented Aug. 12, I902.

C. S. BEEBE.

WIRE FENCE.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet L (No Model.)

N0. 706,883. Patented Aug. l2, I902.

C. S. BEEBE.

WIRE FENCE.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1 B02.) N o M 0 d e I.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C'izaries 812 9656.

NITED STATS.

CHARLES S. BEEBE, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,883, dated August12, 1902.

Application filed February 15, 1902. $erial No. 94.277. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it rmty concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. BEEBE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Racine, county of Racine, State of Wisconsin, have inventedcertain new andnseful Improvements in ire Fences; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in wire fencing, andrelates more partioularly to improvements in wire pickets or stays forconnecting, binding, or weaving together line-wires of a fence or thelike.

An object of the invention is to provide improved simple, strong, anddurable means for what might be termed weaving together the fenceline-Wires previously stretched and secured to the posts, which can beeasily applied to and locked on the line wires by hand without thenecessity of employing special tools or fence-machines and avoiding thenecessity of using factory-made wire fencing manufactured by machines.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved wire-fencestay orpicket for locking together the series of adjacent tautline-wires of a fence and which can be manufactured and sold ready foreasy application by hand to line-wire fences and which is self-lockingand will firmly and strongly lock together the line-wires of a fence andform a most firm and durable wire-fence fabric or structure whatever maybe the irregular or hilly nature of the ground over which the wire fenceextends.

A further object of the invention is to provide certain improvements indetails of construction and in arrangements of parts whereby ahighly-efficient and improved wire-fence.

stay will be produced.

The invention consists in certain novel features in construction, inarrangements, and in combinations of parts and details, as more fullyand particularly pointed out and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustratingconstructions merelyas examples for purposes of explanation from among devices within thespirit and scope of this invention, Figure 1 shows in elevation a lengthor panel of a line-wire fence having the wires locked together bydevices within the spirit and scope of my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail elevation showing parts of the top and second line-wiresand the double stay uniting them,the locking-loops of the next weceeding stays below showing. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of a doublebottom stay, showing means which can be employed for locking the lowerends of the bottom double stay to the bottom line-Wire. Fig. a shows inenlarged detail elevation a detached separated pair of the right andleft stays looking at the stays in a direction to show theentrance-opening into each locking eye or loop. Fig. 5 is a detail topplan of the gripping or looking eye or loop of one of the stays withoutshowing the lateral lower end of the stay. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectionalview on the line 6 6, Fig. 2, looking down. Fig. 7 is a section on theline 7 7, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows three elevations a b 0 indicating themethod of laterally applying the lockingloop of a stay to a line-wireand upper stay a and then swinging the stay downwardly b to a positionabout as shown by 0 before the upper and lower cross-plies of the loopare firmly gripped by a continued movement of the stay to the left untilthe stay is bent and maintains the look under spring-pressure, as shownin preceding views. Fig. 9 is. a detail perspective of the locking-wireshown in other views, looking the lower end of the bottom stay to thebottom line-wire of the fence. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view ofthe locking-wire of Fig. 9 locking the lower end of a stay to aline-wire. Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 11 11,Fig.3. Fig. 12 is a detail elevation of the lock or fastening wire ofFig. 9.

In the drawings, 1 represents the line-wires stretched and secured tosuitable posts in any usual or desirable manner. These wires are usuallyparallel, and any suitable number can be employed, according to theheight of the fence, and the wires can be arranged a suitable distanceapart. In practice the line- Wires are usually arranged something likepossibly three inches apart at the lower portion of the fence, with thewidth between the wires increasing upwardly, so that the upperline-wires may be something like nine inches The line-wires can beprovided with apart.

or without the vertical deflections or crimps 2; but if wires with suchdeflections are employed it is preferable that the deflections bedownward to form depressions in all the linewires excepting the bottomwire and that the bottom wire have upward deflections or crimps, aboutas shown. However, my invention is applicable to the line-wires whetherstraight or crimped, and I do not wish tolimit myself to the employmentof the crimped linewires. For instance, in Figs. 6, 8, and 10 straightline-wires are shown not formed with the crimps or deflections2.

Each stay consists, preferably, of a stifi spring wire or rod 3, inlength equal to the distance between two or more line-wires. These stayswill he usually made to standards and put on the market as articles ofmanufacture ready for instant application to any line-Wire fence. Thestays will be made of different lengths to suit difierent conditions anddifferent fences, so that stays of different sizes can be kept in stock.At one end each stay is formed with a gripping or looking eye or loop4:, formed when the stay is manufactured and ready for application andlockingwithoutfurther manipulation or bend ing of the wire by the use oftools. The opposite end 5 of the stay is usually bent laterally or at anangle, preferably about at right angles, to rest against and parallelwith a line-- wire to be locked thereto. The loop at is formed,preferably, by bending the wire or rod into a single coil or a singlespiral convolution, usually somewhat elongated, so as to receive twowires side by side, and with the extremity 6 of the loop or convolutionturned up beside the point where the wire is first bent laterally fromthe main or straight portion thereof and located a distance therefromgreater than the diameter of the line-wire. or gripping eye or loop ishence what might be termed a split ring, with the lateral entranceopening or passage 7 into the open center thereof. The plane of thelocking eye or loop is at an angle or inclination to the plane of thelength or axis of the straight portion of the staythat is, the wirefirst extends about at right angles or laterally from the end of thebody or length of the stay to form the upper or outer length orply 8 ofthe loop, and from the outer extremity of the ply 8 the wire curvesdownwardly and is deflected latorally or to one side and is doubled backto form the inner, under, or return length or ply 9 of the loop to oneside of the plane of the upper or outer ply 8, so that in plan the twoplies form a V or angle about as shown in Fig. 5. The inner end of theinner or return ply 9 is then bent up beside and a distance from themain length of the stay to form the guard end 6 and the entrance-passage7, hereinbefore referred to. The formation of the locking eye or loop issuch that by holding the stay about in the position shown in Ct, Fig. 8,with respect to the line-wire and moving the stay laterally toward theline-wire The locking said wire will slip through the narrow entranceopening or passage 7 and into the loop. Then by swinging the staydownwardly (see b, Fig. 8) the guard end 6 will pass up between theline-wire, and the main length or stem of the stay will pass down alsobehind the line-wire, and thereby con fine the loop on the wire. Whenthe stay on its downward movement reaches the position shown in c, Fig.8, the inner or under ply 9 of the loop will bear up against theline-wire and the upper ply 8 will bear down on the line-wire, and saidtwo plies will occupy different vertical planes. When the stay reachesthe position 0, Fig. 8, it is ready to have the pressure applied forrigid locking and to maintain the look. When the stay is in the position0, Fig. 8, the stem or length thereof is at an angle from theperpendicular,and its short lateral lower end is now beside andapproximately parallel with the next line-wire. I preferably so arrangethe gripping or locking loops that it is necessary in order to bringsaid lateral lower end of the stay to a point beside and parallel withthe lower line-wire to exert considerable force or pressure on the stay,and hence spring andbend the same laterally (see Figs. 2 and 3) from itsnormal straight condition.

This results in exerting great pressure and leverage on the locking orgripping loop, causing the opposite plies thereof to grip and bind withtremendous force in opposite directions against the line-wire, therebymost rigidly locking the stay to said line-wire and against movement onand longitudinally of the linewire. The lower end of the stay is thenrigidly locked to hold the stay under spring tension, maintaining thelook at its upper end. The end 5 of the stay is then looked to theline-wire while being held bent under tension by another locking loop oreye, such as before described. Usually the looking or gripping loop ofanother stay is slipped onto the stay-end 5 and the line-wire andlooked, as before described, so as to rigidly grip and lock the end 5 tothe line-wire against IIO release. The end 5 of the stay usuallyprojects laterally in the direction in which the stayend tends to moveto its normal straight condition, and hence the gripping-loop is locatedon the said end 5 in front of the stay-stem and in a position to firmlyhold and lock the same. The stays are arranged in a vertical series incontinuation of each other from linewire to line-wire from the top tothe bottom of the fence, although of course I do not wish to limit myinvention to extending each series of stays throughout the entire heightof the fence nor to the use thereof on fences composed entirely of linewires, as often fences have a few line-wires and the balance of thefence filled in with close netting or fabric or other material.

Suitable means are provided to lock the lower end of the bottom stay.Forinstance, I show a gripping or looking loop or eye 10 of the sameconstruction as hereinbefore described, but provide the same with ashort upwardly-projecting stem or shank 11. The loop 10 is formed toslip laterally onto the lower end 5 and the line-wire and embrace andrigidly grip and lock the same in the same manner as heretoforedescribed in connection with the stay-gripping loop. The loop 10 andshank 11 are preferably formed of stiff springwire, and the loop 10 isrigidly gripped on the line-wire and end 5 by swinging the stem 11upwardly toward the stem of the stay and then springing or forcing thesame to or approximately to the stem of the stay and locking the same insuch position either by a loop or binder 12, Figs. 3 and 11, or byforming the upper end of the stem 11 with a hook or catch 13 to catchand spring onto the stay,

and thus hold the stem 11 against releasing movement and holding thesame, maintaining the lock. The line-wires can be locked together bysingle stays or pickets, as shown on Sheet 2 of the drawings, or thestays can be arranged in pairs, as shown on Sheetl of the drawings, inwhich instance the stays of each pair look by movement in oppositedirection, and the stays of each pair are what might be termed rightsand lefts. (See Fig. 4.) The bottom locking-wires 10 11 will also bemade in rights and lefts, as shown by Fig. 3, and the retaining loop orbinder 12, before mentioned, can embrace the stems of the two locks toprevent accidental release thereof. The locks can be used with orwithout this binder, and if used the hooks or catches 13 might bedispensed with.

The waves or crimps in the line can be arranged in any suitable manner,and it is obvious that they form a most eflicient aid in maintaining thestays in proper position and against displacement.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the forms,constructions, and arrangements of the parts described without departingfrom the spirit and scope of myinvention. Hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the constructions shown, but consider myself entitled to allsuch forms as fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A fence-stay consisting of a length of spring-wire having at one endportion an open coil Whose axis is substantially transverse to thelength of wire; the other end portion of the length being benttransversely to the main portion, and extending in a line substantiallyparallel with said axis.

2. A fence-stay consisting of a length of spring-wire having at one endportion an open coil inclosing a substantially elliptical bore, andWhose axis is substantially transverse to the length of wire; the otherend portion of the length being bent transversely to the main portion,and extending substantially parallel with said axis.

3. A fence-stay consisting of a length. of

spring-wire having at one end portion an open coil inclosing asubstantially elliptical bore with the major axis transverse to thelength of wire and whose axis is substantially transverse to the lengthof wire; the other end portion of the length being bent transversely tothe main portion, and extending substantially parallel with said axis.

4. A line-wire fence, and a vertical series of stays extending from wireto wire, the stays being each formed of alength of springwire having acoil at one end and the other end portion bent laterally at an angle;the coil of one stay embracing a line-wire and the lateral portion ofthis stay being alongside of an adjacent 1ine-wire; the adjoining stayhaving its coil embracing said latter linewire and adjacent transverseportion of the stay, and thereby locking them together; and meanslocking the transverse end of the lastmentioned stay to thenextline-wire.

5. A line-wire fence, and a vertical series of stays extending from wireto wire, each stay formed of a length of stifi spring-Wire having agripping-eye at one end with a side passage, whereby the loop can beslipped onto a line-wire and the stay swung down to rigidly grip theline-wire, the opposite end of the stay formed with a lateral end, thestay being bent under tension with its said lateral end beside anotherline-wire, another stay having its gripping-loop embracing said lateralend and line-wire and rigidly locking them together, and means lockingthe lateral end of the last stay to a line-wire, substantially asdescribed.

6. A fence having a series of line-wires, and a vertical series ofstays, each stay extending from one line-wire to the next and lockedthereto by gripping-loops, each stay having a gripping-loop at one endand being laterally bent at the opposite end, and a lock to secure thelateral end of the last stay to a line-wire, said lock comprising a stemat one end bent to form a locking-loop with a side passage, said looplockingthe said lateral end and line-wire together, and the stemextending beside the stay, and means to lock the stem against releasingmovement, substantially as described.

7. Afence comprising line-wires, and a vertical series of stays rigidlylocking the line wires together, the stays arranged in pairs betweeneach pair of line-wires, the stays of each pairlocking in oppositedirections forming rights, and lefts, each stay bent to form agripping-loop at one end and having its opposite end bent laterally andresting beside a line-wire and locked thereto by the loop of the nextsucceeding stay, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. S. DEERE.

W'itnesses:

S. M. HARBR'IDGE, L. T. SMITH.

IOG'

